Apple Bread

The apple season is here. A couple of days ago I stopped by my sister's house. She has an apple tree in her yard. The apples are ripening and some already starting to blanket the ground. I hate to see waste, so Demetrye and I picked a lot of apples and brought them home. As much as we like apples there is no way the two of us can go through all of them before they start going bad, so I had to look for ways to SAVE APPLES :) Here is my DELICIOUS solution to the problem. Demetrye liked this recipe so much so that he asked me to make a couple of loaves just for him.

APPLE BREAD
Ingredients
● 5 cups shredded/grated apple
● ½ cup olive oil
● ½ cup apple sauce, unsweetened
● 2 ground bananas
● 1 cup cane sugar
● 1 teaspoons salt
● 2 ½ teaspoons baking soda
● 2 tablespoons egg replacer
● 10 tablespoons water
● 2 cups white unbleached flour
● 2 cups whole wheat flour
● Cinnamon to taste (optional)
● Nutmeg to taste (optional)
● 1 cup walnuts
● ½ cup sunflower seeds (optional)
● ½ cup pumpkin seeds (optional)

Preparation
● Preheat oven to 375º F.
● Combine all ingredients.
● Dough will make four loaves, if you use 7x4x2 bread pans (or close to it).
● If you don’t have bread forms, make muffins with the same dough. Fill cups ¾ full, leaving enough room for expansion.
● Bake 45 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out dry.
● Cool for about 10 minutes and then take out loaves and cool a bit longer before serving.
ENJOY!!!

Painful Truth: Who Cares Abouth Your Health

Who cares about your health? It is certainly not the big pharmaceutical companies that stand to lose you as their CLIENT. It is at times not even your doctor, who should have your well-being in mind. My husband's case is a prime example. When he tried to come off his cholesterol medication his doctor was more than reluctant to let him (not that it would have held us back in our decision to do it anyhow). Instead of looking into my husband's diet the doctor tried to convince us that Demetrye's problem was hereditary and he is stuck with it until the day he dies.

So, who cares about your health? It is people who stand to gain little to nothing by helping you. It is nutritionists, naturopaths (although I might not agree with all of their methods), local organic farmers and, above all, it should be YOU!!! YOU, yes, YOU should be your primary advocate!!! Don't believe everything you hear from your doctors, on the news or even what you read in a medical journal. Do your homework!!! Research, research, research!!! Your first response to the bad news should not be heading to the local drug store or going under a knife. Your first response should be examining yourself to see if there is anything you are not doing that can be done to save or improve your health. Be PROACTIVE about your health, not REACTIVE!!!

Here is a prime example of medical and pharmaceutical associations/organization not giving a care about the truth that can help millions become well. I hope it will outrage you as much as it does me.


And here is a tribute to all of us who care about general public's well-being.

Eggplant Bites

I am a huge fan of eggplant. This love affair began early on in my life. I remember we made this dish for special occasions and when we had guests when I was little. The only difference was is that we used to dip eggplant into egg mixture and fry it until it was too soft, mostly due to using too much oil. I had never lost the taste for this dish and decided that it was time to give it a vegan make-over. I was salivating while making it, and my taste buds were doing a happy dance... It was DELICIOUS!!! And the entire platter was gone before the night was over. You can see eggplant nutrition properties here.

EGGPLANT BITES
Ingredients
● 1 medium purple eggplant
● 4-5 tomatoes, depending on size
● 2 tablespoons vegan mayo
● 3 large cloves of garlic, crashed

Breading
● ½ zucchini, shredded
● ½ cup soy milk
● Sea salt to taste
● Seasoning to taste (optional)
● ½ cup unbleached organic white flour

Preparation
● Cut eggplant into 5 mm (3/16”) rings
● Place in a bowl and sprinkle each ring with salt to reduce bitterness. I placed my eggplant rings into a salad spinner, so I can later wash then and spin out extra water.
● Cover and let the rings sit while you are preparing the rest of the ingredients.
● Cut tomatoes into thin rounds and set aside.
● To make breading: combine all ingredients and blend in a good processor until zucchini is well integrated in the dough.
● Preheat a skillet and set to medium-high.
● Rinse eggplant rings and either pat dry with a paper towel and use salad spinner to get rid of excess moisture.
● Dip each ring into dough.
● I use non-stick skillet, so less than a teaspoon of olive oil is needed for each round of eggplants. Use your judgment on how much you need, but DO NOT use too much.
● Place several eggplant rings on a skillet and fry until golden.
● I like my eggplant a bit on a raw side, so this process will leave the eggplant a bit raw inside. For those faint of heart (or taste-buds : ) ) fry eggplant on their own before breading for about a minute on each side, and then dip into breading and fry again.
● When all eggplant rings have been fried lay out on a large platter.
● Spread a little bit of vegan mayo on each ring and add a little bit of crashed garlic.
● Cover with a tomato and sprinkle with sea salt.
● Eggplant bites can be served immediately or refrigerated for later enjoyment.

ENJOY!!!

Anna's Breakfast Burrito

Yesterday we had the pleasure of visiting with my niece's family. We did not only have a great time with them and their little wonders, we also were treated to some great vegan food. Anna and Eddie are not vegan, but I think they are only one step away from it. Their diet is cleaner than any other non-vegan family I know. They are always very respectful and accommodating to our dietary needs as well.

About a week and a half ago Anna and I chatted about the benefits of Green Smoothies. Yesterday she told me that she started to make them on regular basis and since lost 7 lbs. Great results, especially given the fact that she did not have to go on a diet, or deprive her body of needed nutrition. She simply added a green smoothie a day, and the positive results were only to be expected :)

Last night we played a game of Cashflow, which took us only 4 hrs to complete (with 6 players). We were starving. Anna quickly whipped up her fabulous veggie burritos. They were delicious and amazingly filling. So, this morning I decided to copy her recipe and make breakfast burritos for us, along with a glass of green smoothie for each.

The recipe can be adjusted to include any combination of veggies you have at home. Feel free to improvise.

ANNA'S BREAKFAST BURRITOSIngredients
● Whole wheat tortilla
● Chopped boiled potato (optional)
● Grated zucchini
● Sliced bell pepper
● Sliced red onion
● Sliced tomatoes
● Avocado cubes
● Toffuti “Better than Sour Cream”*
● Sea salt
● Olive oil (about 1 tablespoon for 3 burritos for toasting)
*You can substitute “sour cream” with olive oil or any of your favorite dressings.

Preparation
● Prepare all veggies.
● Preheat a skillet or you can use a Foreman Grill.
● Lay all ingredients on the tortilla (I start with “sour cream” and build from there).
● Create an envelope out of tortilla, leaving the top open (you can close all sides, it is up to you).
● Lay tortilla seam down on oiled skillet and grill on each side until you achieve golden crispness (or whenever you feel like removing it :) )

I served these burritos with a beet and pineapple smoothie.

SMOOTHIE
Makes two 16-17 oz. servings

● 2 cups water
● 2 big handfuls beet greens
● 1 apple
● 5-6 dates
● Thick slice of pineapple
● 3 tablespoons freshly ground flax seed.

EAT HEALTHY!!! BE HAPPY!!!

Looking for Glass Jars with Spigots

Folks, I need help!!! I have been looking for glass jars, like these two, with spigots (some call it spouts). I want them to be at least 2.5 gallons or larger, and the most important thing--they need to be affordable. I found a couple of sites that have them listed for over $50 a piece, but that is TOO MUCH!!!

If you know where I can find these babies for cheap (no aluminum tops, though), let me know. I will be forever grateful :)

(photo borrowed from Melissa Jill's blog)

What's For Lunch?

While getting some work done today I got a bit hungry. I wanted something easy, filling and delicious. I just had the thing for me, sitting in the fridge. We had my Mom and my nephew Andrew for dinner last night, and I had salad left over. Today I just added a handful of blueberries that picked up at our local CSA, sprinkled the salad with Honey Mustard dressing and served it to myself with half a bagel. Amazingly delicious and simple!!! You have to try it!

BLUEBERRY SALAD
Ingredients
● Dark-leaf lettuce
● Lambsquarters
● Red onion
● Radishes
● Carrots
● Pumpkin seeds
● Cherries
● Garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
● Blueberries
● Served with Honey Mustard dressing that I got from Simple Raw Food Mamma (click on the link and scroll to the bottom of the page to see the recipe).

EAT HEALTHY!!! BE HAPPY!!!

What's for lunch?

Demetrye and I are getting ready for a work out. Both of us were hungry and wanted a quick snack. I made Crepes, served with strawberry and cherry jam. This variation of Crepes is slightly different. I made the batter a bit more liquid by adding slightly more soy milk, and, instead of sugar used honey. They came out DELICIOUS.

The jam was easy to make:
● 2 cups frozen strawberries
● 1 cup fresh pitted cherries
● 3 tablespoons honey

Put all ingredients into a blender and mix until desired consistency has been achieved.
Garnish with a mint leaf.

CREPES
ENJOY!!!

Cherry Ice Cream

I had never been a fan of ice cream, but that changed when I was introduced to a way of making ice cream in the comfort of my home, with my favorite ingredients.

Last week I visited one of my sisters. By the time I left, her sons picked a couple of jars of fresh cherries for me (I love my family!). After I pitted the cherries an idea came to me, it actually made me drool a little-I wanted to make cherry ice cream!!! And so I did. It was wonderful. Demetrye and I ended up making it twice last night.

CHERRY ICE CREAM
Ingredients
● 1 frozen banana
● 1 heaping cup frozen strawberries
● 1 cup fresh pitted cherries
● Melted vegan chocolate (optional)

Preparation
● Blend ingredients in a good processor until desired consistency is achieved.
● Serve immediately.
● Pour melted chocolate over ice cream (chocolate will freeze and become hard almost immediately, but you will enjoy the crunch).

ENJOY!!!

Sunny Summer Pasta Salad

I am getting ready to head out to my sister's baby shower. It is such a wonderful occasion to celebrate life, to spend time with family and friends and to share scrumptious food. I made Pasta Salad for everyone's enjoyment. It looks like a Sunny Summer Day on a plate :)

SUNNY SUMMER PASTA SALAD
Ingredients
● 16 oz. whole wheat pasta, cooked and drained
● 1 red bell pepper, sliced
● 2 small or 1 medium cucumbers, sliced
● 1/5 red onion, sliced
● 4 long radishes, sliced (if you used round radishes you might want to add a couple more)
● 8 oz. snow peas’ shells*, sliced
● 3 tablespoons dill, chopped
● Sea salt to taste
● ½ lemon’s freshly squeezed lemon juice
● 4 tablespoons Vegenaise (vegan mayo)
● Cherry tomatoes for garnish

*I used peas in a Potato Salad last night.

Preparation
● Prepare pasta according to directions (I normally bring pasta to boil and reduce to medium-low heat and let it cook for 15 minutes).
● Prepare all vegetables.
● Mix all ingredients together and let salad sit at least an hour before serving, so vegetables have a chance to let their juices out.

EAT HEALTHY!!! BE HAPPY!!!

Fresh Cucumber Salad

This entire meal (except for pasta and basil) was made with fresh produce we bought today at the local CSA farm. The aroma of fresh vegetables was amazing. The taste-matchless.

Enjoy!!!

CUCUMBER SALAD

Ingredients
● 1 medium size cucumber, sliced
● 1 medium size zucchini, sliced
● 3 tablespoons chopped yellow onion
● 3-4 radishes
● 1 tablespoon olive oil
● 1-2 tablespoon chopped dill
● 1-2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
● Sea salt to taste

Preparation
● Combine all ingredients and let them marinate for about 10-15 minutes.
● Serve immediately or refrigerate for later enjoyment.

The salad was served alongside Basil Pasta, topped with fresh cherry tomatoes.
EAT HEALTHY!!! BE HAPPY!!!

Community Supported Agriculture

Thanks to our dear friend Darlene, we were finally able to locate a local ORGANIC farm: Willow Grove Gardens. This farm is a part of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). Michael & Ruth McKee, the owners, are a hard working couple and deserve the honor they are due. They grow their crops organically and offer it to the local community at affordable prices. It is VERY important to support farms like this one, especially when the economy is struggling and prices of food, gas and other important things are skyrocketing. By buying local we don't only keep the prices down and save money, we also support wonderful, hardworking people and help to keep their businesses running.

Today I made my first trip to the farm, and I know it will not be my last. Just look at all the goodies (my "spoil") we were able to bring home. And can you believe it cost us only $20?!!! It is truly unbelievable. Great, fresh produce; no harmful chemicals. It is picked the night before or even the same day to ensure that the produce is fully ripe and fresh.

After about an hour and a half later, all produce was washed and chopped; greens were put through a salad spinner; and everything was set out to dry a bit for refrigeration and easy use. As you can imagine, by getting my produce prepped ahead of time reduces a lot of work later on. The picture below shows all of my "spoil", although, noticeably missing are tomatoes and a couple of cucumbers and radishes: Demetrye and I were hungry by the time we got home, so we made ourselves a scrumptious lunch. I will post the recipes of our lunch in the next post.

This is ALL the waste that I had from produce you see above. MINIMAL!!! We eat all parts of most of our fruits and vegetable, as each has different vitamins and nutrients beneficial to our bodies. Who can say NO to delicious and beautiful food like this?

Folks, I would encourage you to find a local ORGANIC farm and support them with your purchasing dollars. Keep them in business and save money at the same time. You will feel so much better about shopping!!!

Painful Truth

I'll leave it up to you to ponder on this cartoon.
Source: Natural News.

Truth About HPV Vaccine

I have been outraged by the advertisements for HPV vaccine that are constantly screaming from the TV screen and making women think that they are the only way to save your daughters from cervical cancer. I am currently collecting all of the facts about how harmful it actually is. I will be posting about it soon. Meanwhile, if you have a few minutes and you feel that you are being bullied by your doctors to vaccinate your daughters, yourself or... your sons (how redicilous is that... but more is to come on this), or you want to be informed, please take the time to educate yourself. I am adding this eye-opening interview with Mike Adams of Natural News to make it easier for you to access factual information.
Part I

Part II

And one more:

Rainbow Smoothie

Today's post has no image with it, but it lacks no flavor nonetheless.

The ingredients will make slightly more than 1 quart (about 35 oz.) of smoothie that you can drink throughout the day or refrigerate for the next day. It is packed with delicious nutrients and vitamins :)

RAINBOW SMOOTHIE
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 big handfuls of chopped dandelion greens
  • 2 big handfuls of chopped rainbow chard
  • 4 dates for sweetness (optional)
  • 2 oranges
  • 1 banana

ENJOY!!!

Salmonella Outbreak

I just got through reading an article on Salmonella outbrek and thought that there were some quick facts that were worth mentioning:

>> After FDA-encouraged destruction of tens of millions of dollars of perfectly good tomatoes, FDA now admits that tomatoes may not have been the problem after all, and it has now set its sights on destroying the peppers industry.

>> However, tomatoes, peppers, onions, cilantro or spinach don't harbor salmonella. Salmonella only festers in factory-farmed animals, which means that the real source of contamination is probably an animal factory upstream from the vegetable processing centers.

>> Why doesn't FDA make a public appology for the initial scare of salmonella and acknowledge they were wrong with the same force they made their initial announcement?

>> Does FDA stay to gain from public's ignorance by scaring people away from fresh fruits and vegetables?

Let's suppose that FDA has an agenda to really scare the public to advance their irridiation propoganda. How would they benefit from it? The author of the article I read, Mike Adams, names three possible ways they stand to gain:

"1) It advances the FDA's pro-irradiation agenda where ALL fresh produce might someday be irradiated without your knowledge. (Let me insert here from myself, that the American public is already following in these steps by using GE and GM foods without their knowledge for the most part. For those of you who do not know GE: Genetically Engeneered, GM: Genetecally Modified. In either case, not as our Creator intended.)

2) It makes consumers buy more processed, dead foods, which produces profits for the very same junk food companies that have strong influence at the FDA.

3) If food irradiation is put in place, it will destroy the medicinal properties of fresh produce, thereby blocking the prevention of diseases like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, etc. This, in turn, has the effect of creating a windfall of sick people that will fill the coffers of drug companies (who are, of course, the FDA's clients)."

Some of you reading might not think it is possible that FDA would treat American citizens in such a way. Lets reflect on some other facts, though:

>> While all of Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan ban rBGH milk and do not allow the sale of US produced milk or dairy, FDA still does not force US Dairy companies do disclose their use of rBGH in production of their milk (rBGH (recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone) is a genetically engineered, potent variant of the natural growth hormone produced by cows. Manufactured by Monsanto, it is sold to dairy farmers under the trade name POSILAC. Injection of this hormone forces cows to increase their milk production by about 10%.)

>> Same goes for the meat production. Most other contries have banned the sale of US produced meat, while American gourge themselves on this poison injected "drug", buying it up in neatly wrapped packages that read "FDA Approved".

>> FDA has been putting American lives at risk, pushing dangerous drugs (or you might call them medicines) "that were recalled by other nations, colluding with drug companies to bury negative information about the drugs, outlawing safe, natural alternatives to dangerous pharmaceuticals and even going so far as to threaten its own top scientists who attempt to speak out against dangerous drugs."

I can go on and on with such examples of FDA's bullying behavior, but I trust that by now you would want to be more educated yourselves. You can read more about irradiation and FDA facts by clicking on the links.

Become an EDUCATED consumer!!! Do not rely on the government agencies to protect the well-being of you and your family--apparently it has not worked so far... Educate others!!! Remember that fruits and vegetables are not the problem and had never been before, but the methods that are used to raise these crops are. The methods that had been approved by FDA are now failing. So, get out there and VOTE!!! Vote with your dollars by buying fresh and organic produce! Support your local farmers that grow organic crop. Support your family's health!!!

And remember Eat Healthy!!! Be Happy!!!

Not so Funny and Redicilous...

Just when I thought I had seen and heard it all I come across this article in the New York Times. There is little that is left to say, although I can say a lot, about the corruption in current conventional medicine institution. I am upset enough not to wait until next Tuesday to post about this Painful Truth...

Take a moment and read this article... and do remember that it was published by the NY Times. I hope it gets you MAD! (You can read the entire article by clicking on NY Times link.)

Report Links Dead Doctors to Payments by Medicare

"WASHINGTON — Congressional investigators said Tuesday that Medicare had paid tens of millions of dollars to suppliers improperly using identification numbers of doctors who died years ago.

The government has no reliable way to spot claims linked to dead doctors, many of whom are still listed as active Medicare providers though they died 10 or 15 years ago, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations said.

Medicare covers wheelchairs, walkers, home oxygen equipment and many other types of medical equipment. When suppliers file claims for equipment provided to a Medicare beneficiary, they normally must list an identification number for the doctor who prescribed or ordered it.

“From 2000 to 2007, Medicare paid 478,500 claims containing identification numbers that were assigned to deceased physicians,” the subcommittee said in a new report. “The total amount paid for these claims is estimated to be between $60 million and $92 million. These claims contained identification numbers for an estimated 16,548 to 18,240 deceased physicians.”

...In one case, Medicare paid more than 2,000 claims totaling $479,000 for services provided from 2002 to 2007, even though the doctor had died in 1999.

Herb B. Kuhn, deputy administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said he shared the concern that “Medicare is continuing to pay claims to providers who are using invalid or inactive physician numbers.”

Robert A. Vito, regional inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services in Philadelphia, said that in some cases doctors did not know that their billing numbers were being used by suppliers of medical equipment. But in other cases, he said, doctors collude with suppliers. He cited the case of a Florida doctor who received kickbacks from suppliers in return for prescribing medical equipment covered by Medicare.

The identification number for this doctor was used on nearly $8 million worth of claims for medical equipment in one year — the equivalent of more than $20,000 a day, Mr. Vito said in testimony prepared for the hearing.

About 2,500 doctors who died before 2003 “still had active identification numbers” in May of this year, Mr. Levin said."

Painful... but True... And yet you are supposed to trust these people with your health and well-being.

"Swamp" Smoothie

Here is another variation of green smoothies you can make. I call it "swamp" smoothie because of the color. You will be amazed how sweet it turns out, in spite of its color, if you use ripe organic produce.

“SWAMP” SMOOTHIE

Ingredients
● 1 large leaf of colored greens
● 3-4 beet leaves
● ½ frozen banana
● 1 orange
● Splash of water
● 4 pitted dates (optional, but adds to sweetness)
● 2 tablespoons freshly ground flax seed (optional)

Preparation
● Place all ingredients in a blender and run the blender until smooth.
● Serve immediately or refrigerate.

EAT HEALTHY!!! LIVE HAPPY!!!

Painful Truths

I have decided that I will try to run a post every Tuesday about Painful Truths we are trying to ignore. Some of them will be in a form of a cartoon, a joke, and some--plain old TRUTH.

Enjoy!!!

Read an article that goes with this cartoon here.

Dedicated to Juliana...

I would like to dedicate this post to a late friend of mine--Juliana A. Juliana went to same college as my husband and I, although I was not well acquainted with her until a few years after graduation.

After we were married for about three years, one night Demetrye came home and told me that he ran into Juliana at his place of work. He went on to tell me that he could barely recognize her when he first saw her. See, when he knew her in college, she was a full-bodied healthy looking woman, with a head full of hear. When he met her that night, nearly five years later, she was in a very fragile state, barely shuffling her feet to get around. Juliana told Demetrye that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, and by the time it was found it had already spread into her bones and other internal body organs. She was given only 6 months to live.

Miraculously she had fought the disease for nearly two years. She had gone on and off chemo therapy a couple of times by the time Demetrye had met her.

It happened that at about the same time I started researching nutrition and its effects on our health, in effort to get Demetrye's cholesterol down. You can read a quick recount of that story here. I was already recognizing the correlation between food and health.

Demetrye and I were eager to help Juliana to recover and stay alive. We, as believers in Christ, immediately went to prayer on her behalf, asking God to take away the disease completely. We absolutely believe that miracles are possible. However, both, Demetrye and I, also believe that in any instance we also need to pray for wisdom, to see what WE can do to assist the healing that God is so willing to provide. And so, we did pray for her healing and wisdom for her and ourselves.

It was not long before I checked out a ton of books on nutrition from the local library. As I was devouring them at any free moment, I found more and more staggering evidence that diseases, such as breast cancer, are not only preventable, but can also be reversed. Yes, you read it right: REVERSED!!!

>>T. Colin Campbell, PhD, found in his controlled laboratory studies in experimental animals that "cancer growth can be turned on and off by nutrition, despite very strong genetic predisposition" (The China Study).

>>Kristine Nolfi, M.D., was able to successfully reverse her breast cancer on two occasions, with no medication (Raw Food Treatment of Cancer). When she initially reversed breast cancer, at the advise of her doctor she had returned to her previous (pre-cancer) diet, the cancer returned. At that point she reverted to pure, raw food diet to permanently become cancer free.

>>Verne Verona (although I don't fully agree with the entirety of his nutritional view) had lost most of his family members to cancer and set out on a quest to save himself from an early death (Nature's Cancer Fighting Foods). He beat the odds and lived healthy and beyond his family's life expectancy.

I can go on and on with examples that will confront the traditional views on cancer treatment and prevention, but I think I made my point by now--cancer CAN BE PREVENTED AND REVERSED!!!

Now, to get back to Juliana. Demetrye and I had spent quite a bit of time with her in the months that followed. We prayed for hear healing and rejoiced together when cancer had stopped spreading and she was taking off chemo therapy. We had fervently shared information that we were discovering ourselves. We pleaded with her to change her diet and go on fully vegan diet to defeat the monstrous disease once and for all. The trouble was that Juliana was a certified nurse and wholeheartedly believed that she understood nutrition, while her refrigerator was filled with eggs, milk, butter and other animal products. She assumed that she was safe because they were organic.

It was not long before the cancer came back full force. The doctors told her that there was nothing else they could do, and advised for her to prepare to die. It was at about that time that I remember kneeling in front of her and pleading to try a new approach to overcoming cancer. She had nothing else to lose and everything to gain. Unfortunately she was unwilling. Within a couple of short months thereafter, she passed on, leaving behind grieving family and friends.

The pictures that you see in this post were captured by me, at Juliana's request when the monstrous killer (cancer) stopped for but a breath of a moment. She wanted to capture her struggle and her faith, which is evident in these photos.

It is because of Juliana and millions of others, needlessly dying, I want to shout from the rooftop that NUTRITION IS THE ANSWER to preventing MOST premature, painful and unnecessary deaths. I would rather be mocked than see another human being eat him(her)self to death. Unfortunately I cannot convince everyone that what I know is true, but if I can help even one soul to live a healthier, longer and more productive life, I have succeeded.

I am not going to belabor this post with more scientific facts today, but would like to direct you to an article that you will find eye opening: Breast Cancer Deception. It won't take long to read, and will cost you nothing. So, please take a few minutes for YOU and educate yourself.

Remember: EAT HEALTHY!!! LIVE HAPPY!!!

Green Beans

Summer is my favorite time of the year because of the fresh produce that is available. Demetrye and I stopped by a small privately owned produce store on the way home today and picked up some fresh green beans. They taste AWESOME!!! Eat this dish by itself, or with a side of boiled potatoes, or your favorite pasta (such as Basil Pasta or Alfredo Pasta).

GREEN BEANS
Ingredients
● 4 tablespoons olive oil
● ½ large onion, chopped
● 4 cups fresh green beans, cut into smaller pieces (unless you like long beans)
● 3 large cloves garlic, pressed or minced
● Sea salt to taste
● All-purpose seasoning to taste

Preparation

● Prepare all ingredients.
● Place oil and onions on a skillet.
● Sauté onion for 1-2 minutes on medium heat, just enough to bring out sweetness.
● Add beans and sauté on medium heat for no longer than 1-2 minutes.
● Remove from heat and transfer into a cold dish.

GOOD EATINGS!!!

Potato Salad

This is an absolutely delicious salad, sure to please anyone's taste buds while celebrating USA's Independence Day... and it will not clog your arteries!!! Celebrate your Independence Day of being free from medication and health problems by eating RAW, nutritious dishes like this!!!

POTATO SALAD
Ingredients
● 8 medium potatoes, boiled, peeled and cubed
● 1 cup garbanzo beans, prepared as indicated here
● 2 cups chopped celery
● 2 carrots, cubed
● 1 large zucchini, cubed
● ½ large apple, cubed
● ½ onion, cubed
● 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
● Grind of ½ lemon
● 2 tablespoons dill
● ½-1 red bell pepper, cubed
● Sea Salt to taste
● 1-1½ teaspoon all-purpose seasoning
● 3 tablespoons vegan mayo

Preparation

● Combine all ingredients and season to taste.
● Chill for at least an hour; serve cold.

ENJOY!!!

Beet "Green" Smoothie

As I explained in yesterday's post, I am incorporating more plants that help with production of tyrosine. This Smoothie is loaded with awesome nutrients that will help me achieve my goal and will be helpful to everyone in more than one way. It tastes GREAT!!!

BEET SMOOTHIE
Ingredients
● 1 large leaf of colored greens
● 3-4 beet leaves
● 1 small beet
● ½ frozen banana
● ½ cup fresh strawberries
● 1 orange
● Splash of water
● 4 pitted dates (optional)
● 2 tablespoons freshly ground flax seed

Preparation
● Place all ingredients in a blender and run the blender until smooth.
● Serve immediately.

EAT HEALTHY!!! BE HAPPY!!!

Raw Borsch

I am looking for ways to incorporate more raw vegetables into my diet, which means that I experiment a lot. My kitchen at times resembles a laboratory: counter space taken up with various gadgets and produce. It was like that today. Demetrye was studying and I was "inventing".

I am in need of raising my tyrosine levels. Tyrosine is responsible for production of dopamine, which in turn helps regulate pituitary gland (see, you even got a quick lesson in biology). Beets are largely used to derive plant based tyrosine. Instead of going to the nearest nutrition store to buy a bottle of tyrosine supplement (I will later have to share with you my view on vitamin supplements), I decided that I would rather incorporate the entire beet. (By the way, beet is not the only plant that is helpful in production of tyrosine.)

There is no better way in consuming a fruit or a vegetable except in its raw form, while all nutrients are still alive to benefit our living bodies. So, I was presented with a new challenge. How do I not cook all vegetables and still make dishes similar to what I had grown up with? So, out came my thinking cap and all ingredients that I could find in the fridge. I decided it was time I tried to make a raw borsh. I had previously posted a recipe of a cooked variation of this soup (look in the soup section).

As you will notice, the ingredients are pretty much the same. The only cooked ingredient in this recipe are the potatoes, since I could not imagine eating them raw. So, to be fair, I should say it is ALMOST RAW BORSCH. I had marked this recipe as Variation I, as I think the borsch can be made to taste even better with fresh organic tomatoes, which I did not have this time. I will try making Variation II as soon as I get my hands on some, though.

So, without further due, let me introduce to you a RAWSOME recipe. I know a lot about what a real borsch is supposed to taste like, since I have Russian and Ukrainian bloods flowing in my veins and I spent half of my life living in the former USSR, and this recipe comes as close to the real thing as I know and tastes GREAT!

RAWSOME BORSCH
Variation I

Ingredients
Part I
● 3 cups warm or cold water
● 1 small-medium beet (the larger the beet the sweeter the dish)
● 4 gloves garlic
● 8 oz. can tomato sauce

Part II
● 1 ½ cups water
● ½ red (or any other kind) bell pepper
● ½ large onion
● 1 large carrot
● ¼ cup olive oil

Part III
● 1 carrot, diced
● ½ bell pepper of your choice, diced
● 3 tablespoons chopped dill
● 1 ½ cup shredded white cabbage
● 5 medium potatoes boiled, skinned and chopped into large chunks
● Sea salt to taste
● 1 ½ teaspoon favorite all-purpose seasoning (Mrs. Dash or Kirkland organic are my favorites)

Part IV
● 1 cup hot water
● 4 bay leaves
● Soak together while preparing main ingredients

Preparation
● Place Part I ingredients into a blender and mix until smooth consistency is achieved.
● Transfer ingredients into a large deep dish.
● Place Part II ingredients into a blender and pulse until all ingredients have been chopped into smaller pieces.
● Add to Part I ingredients.
● Add Part III and Part IV ingredients.
● Mix everything together. Make sure it is seasoned to your taste. The less salt you add, the sweeter the dish will turn out. I like my borsch on the salty side.
● Let borsch sit for at least 45 minutes, so ingredients have time to integrate.

● Try serving with a dollop of Vegan Sour Cream.

EAT HEALTHY!!! LIVE HAPPY!!!